US2931232A - Variable vertical speed mixer - Google Patents

Description

April 5, 1960 E. MARTIN VARIABLE VERTICAL SPEED MIXER 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 13, 1957 Fig.-I

INVENTOR. EUGENE MARTIN ATTORNEY April 5, 1960 E. MARTIN 2,931,232

VARIABLE VERTICAL SPEED MIXER Filed May 13, 1957 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Figr2 INVENTOR.

EUGENE MARTIN ATTORNEY April 5, 1960 E. MARTIN 2,931,232

VARIABLE VERTICAL SPEED MIXER Filed May 13, 1957 s Sheets-Sheet s \lkx Il 92 Flg, 3

INVENTOR. Fig.-4 EUGENE MARTIN ATTORNEY we e PM;

VARIABLE VERTICAL SPEED MIXER Eugene Martin, York, Pa., assignor to Capitol Products Corporation, Mechanicsburg, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application May 13, 1957, Serial No. 658,659

2 Claims. (CI. 74-16) This invention relates to vertical mixers for heating or mixing dough or other materials, wherein a vertical beater spindle is moved in an orbital path while rotating on its own axis.

It is an object of the invention to provide a mixer of this type having a variable speed transmission and a direct drive from an electric motor, which is simple and compact in construction, light in weight, that is readily and conveniently assembled, and wherein the operating mechanism therefor is readily accessiblefor maintenance and repair.

Another object is to provide a novel, compact, simple and efficient power trasmission and change speed mechanism for a mixer of the above type.

' Another object is to provide a mixer of the above type having a direct driven variable speed transmission arranged to occupy a minimum of space and providing for alateral power take-off for operating auxiliary appliances such as a fruit juicer, meat grinder or other attachments.

These and other objects, which will become apparent from the following description, are attained by the means described herein and disclosed in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a view in side elevation of a mixing machine embodying the invention, parts being broken away and shown in section;

Figure 2 is an enlarged vertical central longitudinal sectional view through the upper portion of the mixing machine, parts being show in elevation;

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 2; and

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken on theline 44 of Figure 3.

' Referring particularly to Figure l, the mixer comprises a hollowopen bottom base 20, which may be made in the from of a casting. Ahollow column 21, preferably substantially rectangular in cross section, which may also be made in the form of a casting, is mounted on one end portion of thebase 20 and is secured thereto in any suitable manner, as by a plurality of socket head shouldered screws accessible through the open bottom ofbase 20, one of said screws being shown at 22. Mounted on top of thecolumn 21 and extending therebeyond to overhang thebase 20 is ahousing 23, which may also be made in the form of a casting. Thehousing 23 is secured to thecolumn 21 in any suitable manner, as by a plurality of socket head shoulderedscrews 24 accessible through an opening in the lower rearward end ofhousing 23, the opening being normally closed by aremovable cover 25.

Thehousing 23 is provided with a transversely extendingpartition 26 to form arear compartment 27 in which a'motor 28 is securely mounted in horizontal position in any suitable manner, and afront compartment 29 in which is housed themixer transmission 30. At its rearward end, thehousing 23 is formed with an opening for insertion of themotor 28 intocompartment 27 or removal therefrom, the opening being normally closed by aremovable cover 31. The upper forward end of the hous- Patented Apr. 5, 1960ing 23 is formed with an opening providing for insertion and assembly of the transmission 3t) in thefront compartment 29, the opening being normally closed by aremovable cover 32.

Motor shaft 33 extends forwardly frommotor 28 through anopening 34 inpartition 26 into thefront compartment 29. Aspacer sleeve 35 is mounted on the rearward end ofmotor shaft 33 and anoil seal 36 provides a closure for the annular space between thesleeve 35 and theopening 34 in thepartition 26. Keyed or otherwise suitably secured on the forward end ofmotor shaft 33 for rotation therewith is aworm 37. Axial movement of theworm 37 with respect tomotor shaft 33 is prevented by anut 38 threaded on the free end ofshaft 33, whichnut 38 maintains theworm 37 in abutting relation with respect to thesleeve 35.

A horizontal driving'ormain shaft 39 is disposed transversely within thefront compartment 29 beneath theworm 37, and is journaled at one end in abearing 40 supported in one side wall of the housing23, and journaled at its other end in a bearing 41 supported in a removableauxiliary attachment housing 42 carried by the opposite side wall of thehousing 23.

Mounted ondriving shaft 39 for rotation with respect thereto, as best shown in Figure 3, is a worm anddrive gear assembly 43, which includes adrive gear 44havinga hub extension 45 of reduced diameter on which is keyed aworm gear 46.Worm gear 46 meshes withworm 37" whereby rotational movement is imparted to thedrive gear assembly 43 and itsdrive gear 44.

A shifting orcounter shaft 47, shown best in Fig. 4, in axial parallelism with respect to drivingshaft 39 is disposed infront compartment 29 above and forward of drivingshaft 39, and is journaled at its ends inbearings 48 and 49 supported, respectively, in opposite side walls of thehousing 23.

Keyed on shiftingshaft 47 is thedrive gear 50 which meshes withdrive gear 44 for continuous rotation of the shiftingshaft 47.Change speed gears 51, 52 and 53 of A different diameters are rotatably mounted on shiftingshaft 47 between thebearing 48 and thedrive gear 50.Spacing washers 54 are disposed betweengears 50, 51; 51, 52; 52, 53; and a thrust-washer 55 is disposed betweengear 53 and bearing 48. Thelarge diameter gear 51, theintermediate diameter gear 52 and thesmall diameter gear 53 constitute, respectively, the high speed gear, the intermediate speed gear and the low speed gear.

Means, now to be described, is provided for selectively connecting any one of thegears 51, 52 and 53 in driven relation with theshaft 47. For this purpose, theshaft 47 is provided with an external elongated axially extend ingslot 56, in which slot is disposed adriving key 57 adapted for movement lengthwise in the slot. Thegears 51, 52 and 53 are provided, respectively, with internal axially extendingslots 58, 59 and 60 adapted to selectively receive thelug 61 on one end of thedriving key 57, de-

a. pending on the longitudinally adjusted position of the,

drivingkey 57 in theslot 56.

Aclutch sleeve 62 is mounted on theshaft 47 for slidable movement axially therealong and is disposed thereon at that side ofdrive gear 50 opposite thechange speed gears 51, 52 and 53. Axial movement of theclutch sleeve 62 along theshaft 47 is limited in one directionby abutment against thehub 63 of thedrive gear 50, and in the opposite direction by abutment against asnap ring 64 on theshaft 47. I

Theclutch sleeve 62 is mounted on theshaft 47 for rotation therewith through the medium of connecting means with theend 65 of drivingkey 57 opposite itsgear engaging lug 61. This connecting means includes a fi1-'lister head screw 66 threaded into theend 65 of thedriving key 57, the head ofscrew 66 being received in an opening 67 in theclutch sleeve 62. The opening 67 is of such extent considered in the axial direction of theshaft 47, as to provide a small clearance for the head ofscrew 66 to permit limited axial pivotal movement of thescrew 66. and thereby also permitting limited vertical pivotal movement of the drivingkey 57 about itsend 65. Abowed spring 68 secured at one end to theend 65 of thedriving key 57 and bearing along its mid portion against the bottom of thegroove 56 in theshaft 47 and at its free end bearing against the under side of the drivingkey 57 forces the drivingkey 57 pivotally outward to an extended position wherein itslug 61 is adapted to engage in thegrooves 58, 59 or 60 of thegears 51, 52 or 53, respectively, depending on the position to which theclutch sleeve 62 is shifted.

In the position shown in Figure 4, thedriving key lug 61 is shown engaged in thegroove 59 ofintermediate speed gear 52, whereby the latter is arranged to rotate with theshaft 47 to the exclusion ofgears 51 and 53. Upon shifting of clutch sleeve 62- to the left, referring to Figure 4, engagement of spacing'washer 54 (betweengears 52, 53) with thebeveled surface 69 of the drivingkey lug 61forces lug 61 to a retracted position out of engagement withgroove 59 ofgear 52 against the force ofspring 68 to a neutral position, and upon continued shifting ofclutch sleeve 62, the drivingkey lug 61 is urged outwardly to extended position byspring 68 whereupon it-will engagegroove 60 oflow speed gear 53, rotatably connectinggear 53 withshaft 47. Similarly, by shifting theclutch sleeve 62 to the right as viewedin Figure 4, thedriving key lug 61 will engagegroove 58 of, low speed gear. 51- to rotatably connectgear 51 withshaft 47.

tion 71, terminating in aball handle 75. Secured to the shiftinglever shaft portion 71 between thehorizontal flanges 72 and 73, by suitable means such aspin 76, is thehub 77 ofclutch yoke 78. Upper and loweryoke arms 79,. and 80 extend rearward fromhub 77, respectively over and beneath the shiftingshaft 47 and are provided, respectively, with rollers 81 and 82 at diametrically oppositesides of theshaft 47 engageable between theflanges 83 and 84 of theclutch sleeve 62. Thus by moving the ball handle laterally in one direction or the other, shiftinglever shaft portion 71 is rotated, in turn rotating theclutch yoke 78 which by reason of engagement with theflanges 83 and 84 shifts the clutch sleeve along the shiftingshaft 47 whereby thedriving key 57 may be selectively engaged with any one of thechange speed gears 51, 52 or 53.

Gears 51, 52 and 53 are arranged to be in constant mesh with small diameterhigh speed gear 85, intermediate diameterintermediate speed gear 86 and large diameterlow speed gear 87, respectively, whichgears 85, 86 and 87 are keyed ondriving shaft 39. Rotation at a selected speed is thus imparted to drivingshaft 39 from continuously rotatingshaft 47 throughgears 51, 85; 52, 86; or 53, 87; depending on the position of driving key 57.- Of course, when the driving key'57 is moved to'retracted' position byreason of engagement of itslug 61 with the inner surface of one of thespacer washers 54, norotational movement is imparted to drivingshaft 39.

Abevel pinion 88 is mounted onshaft 39 between a suitable thrust bearing 89 and bearing41, andis secured thereto for'rotation therewith by suitable means, as by the.pin 90.Bevel pinion 88 is in driving engagement with abevel gear 91 which is fastened to the upper end of-avertical shaft 92 by suitable means, as bypin 93. Vertical shaft. 92 extends downwardly through an open 4ing 94 in the bottom of the overhanging portion ofhousing 23, and is journaled in vertically spacedbearings 95 and 96.Bearings 95 and 96 are carried in a vertical sleeve portion 97 of the annularvertical shaft support 98 which is rigidly secured to the bottom of the overhanging portion ofhousing 23 by screws 99 and forms a closure for theopening 94.An'oil seal 100 is provided between thevertical shaft 92 and the inner wall of the vertical sleeve 97.

A planetary head orheater shaft support 101 is car ried on the lower extremity ofvertical shaft 92, being secured for rotation therewith by suitable means, as by a key 102, and additionally supported by a retainingring 103. Theplanetary head 101 is provided near its periphery with vertically spacedbearings 104 and 105 in which is rotatably mounted the vertical beater spindle shaft 106.Beater spindle gear 107 is secured to the upper end of shaft 106 by apin 108, the hub of thegear 107 resting on the inner race of bearing 104 for. supporting the shaft 106. Thegear 107 is adapted to engage aninternal ring gear 109 which is removable but securely mounted on the peripheral under side of thevertical shaft support 98 by the same screws 99 which as previously explained secure thevertical shaft support 98 to the under side of the overhanging portion of housing23. Thus, the beater shaft 106 is adapted to rotate about its, own axis as it revolves in an orbit about the axis ofvertical shaft 92, imparting to the beater shaft a planetary movement.

The. lower end, of shaft 106 is adapted to. support a.

heater 110 or other attachment that extends downwardly intov thev bowl 111. Any suitable means may be em ployed for detachably locking theheater 110 or other attachment to the shaft 106. For purpose of illustration,

to be dropped or drawn off the lower end of shaft 106.,

Vertically adjustable bowl support means 117 is provided for raising the bowl in position for mixing the contents thereof, andlpwering the. bowl in position for removal from the mixer. The bowl supporting means '117 is approximately U-shaped in plan and comprise two forwardly and outwardlycurved arms 118 and 119, straddling the bowl 111 and abight portion 120 at the rear of the bowl 111. At one end of thebight portion 120, the bowl supporting means 117 is provided with asleeve 121 slidable on avertical guide rod 122 which is suitably secured at its lower end in a sleeve-like boss" 123 formed with and extending upwardly from thebasev 20. Extending laterally outward from theboss 123 is ashaft 124 on which is eccentrically mounteda cam:disc 125, the periphery of which is arranged to engage"- the bottom of thesleeve 121 of thebowl support 117.

By raising or lowering ahandle 126 projectingfrom thecam disc 125, the cam disc oscillates to raise or lower the bowl support means 117 together with the bowl 111.

Thesleeve 121 of the bowl support means 117 in addition to be slidable on vertical guide rod. 122,v as above described, is also adapted for turning movement about the axis ofguide rod 122, whereby the bowl'suppon means 117 together with, the bowl 111 can. be swung laterally and outwardly in an are from a position directly. under thebeater shaft support 101 to a position under the discharge end of an auxiliary appliance, as for ex ample, a meat grinder, carried by theauxiliary attachment housing 42.

Aremovable pin 127 extending through aboss 128 on the front side of-thecolumn 21 and-into thebight portion 120 of the bowl support means 117 properly locates the bowl 111 in mixing position. For properly locating the bowl 111 on the bowl support means 117, removable pins 129 are provided which extend through ears 131 at the sides of the bowl 111, into the forward ends of thearms 118 and 119 of the bowl support means 117.

It will be understood that various changes in construction and arrangement of parts of the device embodying my invention may be made without departing from the spirit of my invention within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A mixing machine having a base, a pedestal at one end of said base, a housing mounted on said pedestal and overhanging said base, a motor mounted in the rear portion of said housing over said pedestal and having a horizontal drive shaft extending into the overhanging front portion of said housing, a vertical output shaft rotatably supported in and depending from the overhanging portion of said housing and terminating at itsupper end inthe lower portion of said overhanging housing portion beneath the free end of said motor shaft, a horizontal main shaft having its axis normal with respect to the axis of said motor shaft, said horizontal main shaft being disposed between the free end of said motor shaft and the upper end of said output shaft and being journaled at its ends in respective side walls of said housing, a horizontal counter shaft in axial parallelism with respect to said main shaft journaled at its ends in respective side walls of said housing, said counter shaft being disposed with its axis offset forwardly of the free end of said motor shaft and the axis of said main shaft and lying in a plane below the level of the axis of said motor shaft and above the level of the axis of said main shaft, a

speed reducing drive connection between said motor shaft and said counter shaft including a worm fixed on the free end of said motor shaft, gear means freely supported on said main shaft and engaging said worm, a gear fixed on said counter shaft and engaging said gear means on said main shaft, a plurality of constantly meshed change speed gears on said main and counter shafts, the change speed gears on said main shaft being fixed thereon and the change speed gears on said counter shaft being rotatable thereon, means for engaging a selected change speed gear on said counter shaft in driven relation therewith for imparting rotation at a selected speed from said counter shaft to said main shaft, and

' means secured to said main shaft for operatively conmeeting said main shaft with said vertical output shaft for rotating the latter.

2. A mixing machine in accordance with claim 1 including a power take-off coupling means axially alined with and connected to one end of said main shaft for operating at a selected speed an auxiliary appliance disposed at one lateral side of the overhanging portion of said housing.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

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